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Top Tourist Places to Visit in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia

Sandakan is the second largest city in the state of Sabah lying on east of Malaysia on the north-eastern coast of Borneo. Sandakan covers a total area of 2266 sq kms and is known for being the major tourist attraction in this part of the country renowned for Turtles Parks, Caves and Rivers. Sandakan coordinates with 5.50’ degree North Latitude and 118.7’ degree East Longitude.

Climate in Sandakan:

Sandakan experiences tropical rainforest climatic conditions all round the year. The city receives heavy rainfall all round the year with the heaviest precipitation seen during the months of November to January. Summers are quite hot and humid with average temperature ranging around mid 30 degree Celsius where as during winter the minimum temperature hovers around mid 20 degree Celsius.

Tourist attractions in Sandakan:

Sandakan has lots of attractions to offer for the tourists who visit the place all round the year. Some of the places of interest are listed here below:

• Sandakan Prison Camp Memorial
• Turtle Island Park
• Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
• Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Center
• Orangutan Sanctuary
• Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple
• Lankayan island
• Agnes Newton Keith Home known for historic sites.
• Sandakan Rainforest Park
• Gomantong Cave Sandakan
• Sandakan Heritage Trail
• Japanese Cemetery
• The Parish of St Michael and All Angels Church
• Deramakot Forest Reserve
• Sandakan Heritage Museum

Shopping, sports, cuisines and festivals in Sandakan:

Sandakan is well known for shopping malls, supermarkets and hypermarkets which are spread in every nook and corner of the city. Some of the retail giants like Tesco, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Dominos and KFC have opened their outlets in Sandakan in recent times. Tourists can also shop for handicrafts, garments, boutiques, souvenirs, antiques, jewellery, electronics and other luxury commodities from the malls that are present in Sandakan.

Sandakan is also quite famous for sporting actions like rugby and football as many matches are held from time to time inviting large spectators.

Sandakan is also well known for its local cuisines which have a combination of Malay, Chinese and Indian. Some of the local delicacies include chicken roast, meat rolls, beef rolls and lots of fresh sea foods like eels, tunas, salmons, shark meat, prawn fry, octopus, lobsters and oysters.

Chinese, Buddhist, Hindus, Muslims and Christian’s festivals are hosted with much faith and devotion.

Connectivity to Sandakan in Malaysia:

The city of Sandakan is well connected by all modes of public transport like road, rail, air and sea. Sandakan has good network of roadways like Highways, Expressways and Bypasses which pass through the city. Local and intercity buses are also available from Sandakan to travel nearby cities and places located in and around Sandakan. Light Rail Transit Network and Mono rail connect Sandakan with its suburbs quite frequently. Sandakan is approx 318 kms from Kota Kinabula and the Sandakan Airport connects the city with Kota Kinabalu, Kualalumpur, Kota Bharu, George Town and Ipoh with direct flights. Sandakan also has a port that carries passengers and freight to other major ports located in Malaysia.

Hotels in Sandakan:

There are many reputed hotels ranging from 1 star to 6 star ratings located in Sandakan providing decent accommodation facilities to the tourists. Tourists can reserve the hotels well in advance prior to visiting the place and they can book the hotels as per their choice, requirements and budget. List of hotels located in Sandakan are:

• Lankayan Island Dive Resort
• Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan
• May Fair Hotel
• Borneo Cove Hotel
• Sabah Hotel
• Swiss-Inn Waterfront Sandakan
• Sepilok Jungle Resort
• Hotel London
• Hotel Sandakan
• The Mark’s Lodge
• 2 Inn 1 Boutique Hotel & Spa
• The Pavilion Hotel
• Hotel City Star

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Sabah, Malaysia

Sabah is the second largest state in Malaysia lying on the northern parts of the country and Kota Kinabalu being its capital city. Initially called as Jesselton, Sabah is also referred as “The Land below the Wind” because the region is more prone to tornadoes, typhoons, gayle and hurricanes. Sabah covers a total area of 73631 sq kms and is known for some of the finest universities, colleges, schools, transportation and hospitals. Sabah coordinates with 5.15’ degree North Latitude and 117.0’ degree East Longitude.

Sabah Meaning & History:

It is believed that Sabah got its name due to presence of a type of a banana found in the coastal region of the state. Another theory says that Sabah name derived from Malay word “Sabak” meaning a place where palm sugar was extracted. Sabah was ruled by Srivijiya rulers during the 7^th century and later was taken over by the Sultanate of Brunei. In the year 1761, Sabah saw the arrival of British in the island country and continued to rule so for quite long time. Japanese forces attacked Sabah during II World War and the region came under severe bombings by the allied forces.

Major tourist attractions in Sabah:

Sabah has many tourists’ attractions to visit like;

• Mount Kinabalu
• Kinabalu National Park
• South Sea Sanctuary
• Sabah Indoor Climbing Centre
• Sutera Harbour Golf Club
• Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
• Floating Mosque
• Sapi Island
• Sabah State Museum
• Tanjung Aru Perdana Park
• Tabin Wildlife Reserve
• Lok Kawi Wildlife Park
• Kota Kinabalu City Mosque
• Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre
• Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary
• Signal Hill Observatory Tower
• Water World Theme Park
• Sandakan Prison Camp Memorial
• Turtle Island Park
• Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
• Orangutan Sanctuary
• Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple
• Sandakan Rainforest Park
• Gomantong Cave Sandakan
• Sandakan Heritage Museum

Sports, cuisine and dances in Sabah:

Sabah is well known for some of the major sporting activities like soccer, badminton, karate, cycle racing and tennis. Many such sporting activities keep taking place every year in Sabah which attracts many tourists from all parts of the world. Sabah is also well known for local cuisines and recipes which include recipes made out of meat, chicken, pork and beef. Besides Sabah is also famous for serving some authentic sea foods like tunas, mackerels, squids, crabs, dried prawns and soups. Sabah is also rich in culture, art and dance where many traditional dances like daling-daling, Sumazau, Magunatip and Nona Mansaya are staged and performed in every shows and theater festivals that take place from time to time in Sabah.

Connectivity to Sabah in Malaysia:

Sabah is well linked by several Highways, Expressways and Bypasses quite adequately. Regular bus services are available from Kota Kinabalu to many major cities located in Sabah. It is also well connected by light transit rail network and mono rail between different cities situated in state of Sabah. Sabah is also connected by air link and the major airport is located in capital city Kota Kinabalu which has flights to various local as well as international destinations.

Hotels in Sabah:

There are many excellent hotels providing world class accommodation facilities to the tourists. Hotels in Sabah range from ordinary budget ones to high end luxury class hotels that has host of amenities and services and it is up to the tourists to select the hotel as per their requirements and budget. List of hotels located in Sabah is as follows:

• Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort
• Hotel Eden54
• Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
• Hotel Sixty3
• Hotel Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu
• Horizon Hotel & Spa
• Hyatt Regency Kinabalu
• 1 City Hotel
• The Jesselton Hotel